Then → Now · 2026
The Barcelona trend the author spotted in 2017 was later formalised: Spain now runs its own digital-nomad visa.
What it said (2017) ↓
A personal column: went fully online in January 2016; booked a Barcelona flight five minutes after deciding.
"Barcelona was becoming a choice for location independent people."
What happened (2026) ↓
Spain now has a formal digital-nomad visa, listed among current programmes. Citizen Remote
Nomad numbers reportedly rose sharply, according to MBO Partners figures seen only in search excerpts; its cited page now returns 404.
Verdict · Held up: 8 / 10 · Full 2026 update
- Going location independent was a joy, and the author would never go back to a 9-5.Still valid evergreen
Original post · 31 July 2017
In January 2016, I decided for myself that I wanted all my work to be online. I like spontaneous getaways and last-minute trips, and I needed my work to fit that lifestyle. That meant, I should go location independent. So that’s what I started working on. Now, 1,5 year later, I’m definitely enjoying all the benefits to the fullest. Especially this week. 3 days ago, I was being interviewed by Mitchell Weijerman, a fellow digital nomad. We met through the student group of an online course we both followed. After the interview, we kept on chatting for a bit and he told me how he had just arrived in Barcelona - my all-time favourite city. I knew that coincidentally, the creator of said course was also on his way to Barcelona, as well as some other people I knew via that same student group. Barcelona was becoming a choice for location independent people, and that is not surprising. I got jealous, thinking to myself ‘Oh man, I wish I could be there!’ Then the next thought was ‘Well, you can be there, so why aren’t you?’ Five minutes later, my flight for Sunday was booked. By now it’s Monday and I’m typing this with an amazing view over the city, the Sagrada Familia on my left and the sea on my far right. Later today, I’ll be visiting ‘A Landing Pad’, the coworking and coliving space by Coworkation. And tomorrow, I’ll go to OneCoWork where I’ll have my morning coffee with a view on the Marina, the harbour. And the day after, I’ll be flying back, only to leave again 1,5 day later to our Cowork7x24 team meetup in Budapest. Nope, I don’t think I’ll ever go back to a 9-5… p.s. if you are looking to become a location independent professional, but are not sure how to get your first client to get started, this article may be of interest to youWhat happened after this was written
Claims then:
- A personal column: went fully online in January 2016; booked a Barcelona flight five minutes after deciding.
- "Barcelona was becoming a choice for location independent people."
- Visits to A Landing Pad (Coworkation's coliving) and OneCoWork (Marina). Then the team meetup in Budapest.
- "I don't think I'll ever go back to a 9-5."
What happened since:
- Spain now has a formal digital-nomad visa, listed among current programmes. Citizen Remote
- Nomad numbers reportedly rose sharply, according to MBO Partners figures seen only in search excerpts; its cited page now returns 404.
- Whether A Landing Pad and OneCoWork Marina still operate: unverified.
- Barcelona's later turn against short-term tourist lets (relevant to nomads) was not researched this session.
Prediction scorecard: (none)
Verdict: Still valid (evergreen) as a personal essay.
Headline finding: The Barcelona trend the author spotted in 2017 was later formalised: Spain now runs its own digital-nomad visa.
Additional checks · Chrome search, 30 Sep 2026
- OneCoWork Marina / A Landing Pad: OneCoWork still operates in Barcelona (Catedral, Poblenou, Portal de l'Angel), but Marina Port Vell is no longer on its own location list. A Landing Pad is reportedly an active Barcelona coliving (Instagram advertising rooms for October), but this could not be confirmed from the primary source: its own site shows a domain error. (re-checked 3 Nov 2026; onecowork.com; Instagram @barcelonacoliving not re-checked)
Where these differ from the notes above, these supersede them.
Re-verified 3 November 2026: 2 claims confirmed, 1 corrected, 2 hedged, 0 removed.
Researched 30 September 2026 and re-verified against the sources on 3 November 2026. Sources are linked in each point. Items marked "unverified" could not be established and are not guessed.